Morse Texter

After reading this and this and this I decided to knock up this dodgy prototype amazing application for S60 v2.x phones (but not v1.x or v3.x -- check your version here). Tap in some Morse code, and then send it as an SMS. Keys are:

• 1, 4, 7, or * - Dot
  
• 2, 5, 8, or 0 - Space
  
• 3, 6, 9, or # - Dash
• Left arrow - Dot
  
• OK key - Space
  
• Right arrow - Dash
• C key - Delete last dot, dash or letter
  
• Call/green key - Send as SMS

For a gap between letters, press space once. For a gap between words, press space a second time.

Here's the source, do whatever you want with it. Some ideas:

• Add short and long key press handling on the OK key for dot and dash input, with proper timing to add character and word spaces
  
• Centre the Morse characters and make them bigger/bolder
  
• More ideas
  

. / -. / .--- / --- / -.-- / -.-.--

Comments

[Gadget17]

Software screenshots look interesting, although I have yet to download as away on Holiday on Isle of Wight and cannot download yet. I am glad I inspired someone and will give you someone feedback when I have used. I will also add a link to my freeware list.

[Roland]

My Nokia 3620 doesn't want to install it - it gives me an error message saying "Application may not be compatible with phone. Quit installation?". If I say no, it says "Unable to install. Series60ProductID needed." Any ideas?

[Krisjohn]

N-gage gives the same error as Roland's 3620.

[Justin]

Love it. Been wanting one of these seen I read about the 92-year-old beating the 13-year-old. Now, can we have an app to 'read' sms by vibrating please? Then I can read and write them without looking ;-)

[Walter]

The Morse revival starts now!

[Jason Bradbury]

Hi,

Love what you've done here. Not sure what your qualifications are regarding Morse - you may be far senior to myself, but, for what it's worth I'm licensed to transmit 15WPM in Morse as a UK Radio Amateur (I also run a Gadget and Technology Blog www.jasonbradbury.com). Your app rocks - but I can see ways in which you could improve it and make it a more realistic representation of actual Morse. Really, it needs to be something more akin to a ring tone creator - except with just one tone. If you could hold down a key for a continuous tone (dash) release it, then just touch the key for a quick stab (dot) and have the software recognise that as ... well 'A' as it happens - now that would be a fine bit of kit.

I've actually got a handheld device, about the size of a matchbox - that does exactly what I've described. You can, for example, place it in front of a speaker through which Morse if being played, and it will decode the dots and dahs in real time. It's awesome fun to tune into the Russians or French chatting together in Morse and see it coming up in plain English on the device's tiny display.

I'll have to hunt it out and post an image on my blog. Anyway, nice work and good to see Radio related content making itself heard through the cutting edge technological prism that is Series 60. :)

Jason Bradbury

[Michelle]

I want it! I want it!

I want it for Palm OS so I can send messages to my Dad, a long time HAM. :)

[Jason]

Okay - just uploaded a picture of the MJF 461 Morse Reader. Had to route around in the garage for a half hour - but it's worth it. Check my blog for an image www.jasonbradbury.com

Jason

[Hugo]

Roland, Krisjohn, I've only tested on a 7610 so far., but I think I know what's up. I'll take a look some time.

Jason, I have absolutely no qualifications in Morse! That Morse Reader looks cool. But I totally agree with you, it should only need one button input and use the duration of presses to figure out dots, dashes, letter and word gaps. And play a tone. In fact, they're the first & second todos! I've an idea how to do this, and may do it, but as I don't do Morse, don't get too excited. Though If I do, I'll drop you a line.

(If anyone else wants to, this NewLC article explains roughly what to do. In InactivityDetected() you implement what your application needs to do when there has been inactivity, i.e. letter or word gap. In ActivityDetected() you implement what your application needs to do when activity is resumed after the inactivity period, i.e. dot or dash. http://www.newlc.com/article.php3?id_article=275 )

Justin, vibrating Morse Reader, nice idea!

[Hugo]

Roland, Krisjohn, it was set to only install for Series 60 2.0 or later (for no reason), and your phones are v1.x, so I've set it to v0.9 (i.e. 7650) onwards. So try it now.

[Miguel Ángel]

Hey! Neat piece of soft this MorseTexter. I've got some suggestions to improve the code. It's a shame I run linux on ppc; otherwise I could test them before submitting them to you. Here we go:

Taking a look at the code I've found a typo:

else if ( iMorseChar.CompareF(_L("--.")) == 0 )
iText.Append('z');

should read:
else if ( iMorseChar.CompareF(_L("--..")) == 0 )
iText.Append('z');

otherwise it's impossible to put the letter 'z' (the --. code belongs to 'g')

The other thing I miss is the parentheses closing. You left that as an exercise so:

Putting an:

static bool openPar = false;

at the beginning of CMorseTexterContainer::SpaceL (src/MorseTexterContainer.cpp) and changing a little bit the parentheses rule:

...
else if ( iMorseChar.CompareF(_L("-.--.-")) == 0 )
{
if(openPar) iText.Append(')');
else iText.Append('(');
openPar = !openPar;
}
...

...should do the trick

There's no way to type nested parentheses but they're not often needed (aside from programming I mean).

I hope the code will look readable without the indenting

Thanks for your work and for releasing the code.

Miguel

[Roland]

It installs now on my 3620, but when I open the app it beeps and says "System error" then takes me back to the menu.

[WA5ZNU]

Using two keys is a good plan, for dit and dah, as that's what a keyer does and it's faster than a single one. I agree, though, that the inter-letter and inter-word spacing should be done by timing. Anybody got a Hiptop or J2ME version of this? (I started one a while back but it dropped off the list.)

[JD]

I would love to have Morse on my cellphone. Too bad I have to buy a series 60 phone though.

[Hugo]

v0.07 uploaded.

Miguel, well spotted about the zed! I've fixed that. Anyone notice any other typos and let me know. I've also done the closing bracket thing as suggested, almost as you suggested (but put it as a member variable so Symbian is happy). Thanks!

Roland, Krisjohn, my guess is that the app must be using something not supported on your 3620 and N-Gage (they're both Series 60 v1.2 phones). Sorry! I've left it so it can still install on older phones, but I won't be surprised if it doesn't work on the 7650, 3650, and such like.

[Gadget17]

Great App (and glad you have fixed the Zed as my Ham Callsign has that letter).
3 possible things to make better:-

1, I would like the space on middle keys, could a option to swap be added (i.e. Left Keys-Dits, Middle Keys-Space, Right Keys-Dahs)? This may also help on phones with Dodgy key layouts!

2, How about a menu option to show what the code is as a reminder? (Or Cheat Mode, show on Right what is actually made with Dits & Dahs already input?)

3, Could you make the Dits & Dahs at the top larger (x2 or x3)?

[tom glaab]

I think the "separate key" approach to dit and dah closely matches the method used on the original transatlantic cables. Rather than spend time waiting for a dah (twice as long as a dit) the operator would use a left-right keyer. Each dit or dah was the same length, but the change was indicated by the "direction" of the signal. Sort of an early PSK system :-)

[MAG]

Не нахуй не нужна эта "морзянка" один хуй смс рулит... и всегда смс будет лучше морзянки... смс-ками все будут пользоваться....

[Moskvich]

Ты уже прославился этим сообщением. Перворусскийнах.
http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/news.php?id=38139

(Your message is full of bad russian words.)

[MAG]

Moskvich gi-gi

[Walter]

HAH! I just read the Russel Beattie link you put in your post about this program as an influence and noticed that he linked to the Wikipedia article on Morse code... interestingly enough he wrote his article and linked to the wikipedia article just a few hours after I had surreptitiously inserted a paragraph in the Morse article with regards to SMS, including the killer: "Morse code has consistently won the contests, leading to speculation that cellphone manufacturers may eventually build a Morse code interface into cellphones" even though I didn't have any evidence that anyone else was speculating on it except myself. I put it there anyways in the hopes that people WOULD INDEED start speculating and then perhaps someone like yourself would become inspired and actually do what you did!

HAH! Now if only we could hear Mr. Beattie's and Jason's comments to see if they read that part of the wikipedia article that I wrote and if it inspired them to write about it in their blogs. I can see from Beattie's blog that he posted his article AFTER I wrote my blurb in the Morse code article, but I can't tell with Jason.. it was the same day though that I posted my blurb.

I also put a similar blurb under SMS for good measure. Glad to see that my devious plans are paying off!

Or of course, and much more likely, it could just be a coincedence. But I LOVE LOVE LOVE the idea of Morse on cellphones, and am especially hopeful of a Morse revival. Thanks to you it has now become a reality and you've got EVERYONE talking about it and I am confident that we'll see it happen. Thank you!

[Walter]

Haha! I just noticed that the icon for your SMS MORSE app is morse code for SMS :) Nice one!

[Omry]

It does not work on the 7650 either. I get the same error Miguel described for his 3620.

[Vadim Kolontsov]

It does work on 6260, great thing :)

[Hugo]

I've updated it to v0.08.

Gadget17, I've added your (1) and (2) suggestions:

1,
- keys in the left column are dits (left arrow, 1, 4, 7, *),
- keys in the central column are space (OK, 2, 5, 8, 0), and
- keys in the right column are dahs (right arrow, 3, 6, 9, #).
If anyone preferred the old way, or prefers this one, let me know and maybe I'll do a setting to swap.

2, I've actually done both of these:
- a menu option to show a guide to Morse code
- a preview on the right that shows what the current dits & dahs would be

Not done 3, would be good though (to make the dits/dahs bigger, bolder, centred)

Some other stuff.

* Added a proper UID from Symbian, instead of a dev one. This just means that you should uninstall the old one (if you have it already), otherwise you'll get both old and new ones.

* As it doesn't work on 7650 (S60 v0.9), 3620 or N-Gage (v1.x), I've made it only to install on S60 v2.0 or newer phones. Sorry, dunno why it doesn't work on those older phones. If anyone knows (or even better, fixes it!), let me know.

* Added a confirmation on the exit, so you don't quit by mistake and lose your text.